Points of Contact

I’m seriously considering deleting my LinkedIn account, but not for anything LinkedIn did. The truth is, I feel bad that people are using the “request an introduction” feature, and that I don’t notice it for days and days and days. I’m just not active enough there, and so, I end up looking like a jerk. Besides, it’s not really working for me as a point of business, but again, not because of anything LinkedIn did. I’m just not putting effort into LinkedIn to find business, as I’m getting it from other places.

The idea for this post came from a conversation I had on Google Wave with some smart friends.

Seth Godin doesn’t use Twitter actively. He chooses not to open comments on his blog. However, he’s a really fast responder to email. He’s jumped on the phone with me the few times I’ve needed something from him without any fanfare. He just doesn’t need Twitter or blog comments as a point of contact.

My primary email inbox is stuffed full of people requesting stuff from me. My contact form, which is much easier for me to use, because my executive assistant, Diane, helps me with it, would be a much better place for me to spend my time.

I like Twitter, and it helps me build relationships. Thus, I spend a lot of time there. I kind of like Facebook (slow convert), but the 5000 person limit vexes me, plus I use it as a kind of personal place, where I talk a bit off the cuff.

So what do I do? Connecting is part of my job. It’s how business happens. It’s how I stay connected and accessible. And yet, I think I’m too connected. That’s a lot of points of contact. Think about manning all those phones, so to speak. Think about managing all those interactions in all those various formats across all those various tools.

As a business, how do YOU do it?

What’s the value of being THAT connected?

And if I were to trim it all back into just a few spots, would it help, or would it bottleneck?

I’m not writing this for us to think about me. I’m writing this for us to think about us. I’m writing this for business people who are wondering where to put their time, who wonder why everyone’s spreading themselves all over these platforms, and who are wondering what comes next when we’re all this plugged in.

I thrive on contact. I’m drowning in it. It’s not my problem. It’s a modern world problem.

What’s your take?

Chris Brogan

CEO of Owner Media Group

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